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Archives
Category Archives: Evanston
Evanston Remodelling
This week we remodeled Dani’s condo, replacing the carpet with wood flooring and painting all of the rooms. We actually started by having the two bedrooms repainted in early July, getting rid of the horrible hospital green color. The painter … Continue reading
Crosby, Stills and Nash at Ravinia
This was one of the best shows I’ve seen at Ravinia. I liked the band’s 1969 and 1970 albums, and their individual solo albums, but haven’t really followed them. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover they are a … Continue reading
Roasted Cauliflower Pizza
Dani and I decided to try to duplicate the roasted cauliflower pizza from Anthony’s in Orlando, and we came darned close. We started with some pizza dough from Whole Foods, which I rolled out repeatedly, really thin, and then baked … Continue reading
5-Spice Apples
I invented this simple recipe to use up ingredients before leaving town. It turned out delicious. Ingredients 2 apples 3 Tbsp brown sugar 2 tsp Chinese 5-spice Preparation Peel and chop up apples. Dump in a covered casserole dish, add … Continue reading
Pan-Seared Chicken with Balsamic Fruit Glaze
I fiddled with this recipe so much I’m calling it my own. This is a really good way to cook boneless, skinless chicken; it ends up crisp yet moist. And the glaze can be prepared in a leisurely fashion while … Continue reading
Cozy Noodles
Cozy Noodles is a funky little cafe near Ace hardware, on Davis, but on the other side of the tracks from the business district. The striking thing about the place is the collections of tin toys, Pez dispensers, license plates, … Continue reading
Ravinia: Santana
Santana was good, but of course they couldn’t compare to last night. They were very generous with their time, playing all their hits, and as near as I could tell every song from their second and third albums. In fact, … Continue reading
Ravinia: Marvin Hamlish, Idina Menzel, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Tonight we went to a concert I was expecting to just be so so, and it was fantastic. It was in the open air stage a Ravinia. The hundred degree weather of the past week had abated, and it was … Continue reading
Grilled Zucchini with Pesto
These turned out great. I used much more garlic and twice the pine nuts the original recipe suggested. I don’t see how you could stretch it to recommended six zucchini, though. I used more than half the pesto on one … Continue reading
July 4th
July 4th was hot in Evanston. 102, to be precise. We stayed in, except for a run to Whole Foods, but in mid-afternoon the power went out and we were thankful our dinner plans included Dani’s new portable gas barbecue. … Continue reading
Garden Lasagna
Last night I made a vegetarian lasagna. I was skeptical because of the large amount of skim milk in the recipe, but it worked great. I left out the corn the recipe called for, and used ricotta cheese rather than … Continue reading
Kinky Friedman
One of the funniest authors I know is Kinky Friedman. He began his career in the 60s as a folk musician with the band The Texas Jewboys, and also played backup for Bob Dylan and many others. His biggest hits … Continue reading
Paint Test
After three years, we’re finally getting rid of the hideous hospital green paint that the former owners of Dani’s condo painted the bedrooms. Testing is in progress.
Farmers’ Market
On Saturday mornings Evanston has a farmers’ market behind the Hilton Garden Inn. Unlike many farmers’ markets I’ve been to, this one is actually a market of farmers. Nearly every booth has fresh picked (or sometimes potted) herbs and vegetables … Continue reading
Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Showcase
My favorite entertainment event of the year is the Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Showcase. It’s held a Northwestern University’s Theatre and Interpretation Center. Each year Master Teachers Craig Carnelia (Tony Award-nominated composer and lyricist), Andrew Lippa (Grammy Award-nominated composer and lyricist) … Continue reading
Evanston
I’m spending the summer in Evanston with Dani again. She’s taking a three week physics course, and then doing an eight week psychology study that she got a grant for. In between we’re going to tour the national parks and … Continue reading
Road Trip: Chicago to Orlando 2011
10 Days, 11 States: Chicago IL, Indiana, Detroit MI, Cleveland OH, Pittsburgh PA, Hot Springs VA, Beckley WV, Asheville NC, Sevierville TN, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Jacksonville FL and home to Orlando. A little over 2000 miles. The day before … Continue reading
Lincoln Park Zoo
Now that Dani has finished her German class (and got an A, of course) we have a couple of free days in Chicago before our road trip. We spent today at the Lincoln Park Zoo, a lovely oasis of greenery … Continue reading
Fourth of July in Evanston
We decided to avoid the traffic and stay in Evanston for the Fourth of July. Dani made her traditional berry and jello flag cake, I grilled some steaks, Linda made Julia Child’s sauteed pearl onions, and we watched the spectacular … Continue reading
The Girl and the Goat
The Girl and the Goat is the new restaurant by Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef. Barely open a year, it has already won a James Beard award, and is the hottest restaurant in Chicago. I reserved our table three … Continue reading
Moto
Saturday night we made our annual visit to the molecular gastronomy weirdness that is Moto. We often use a limo service to get to Chicago, because the cost for a town car is about the same as a cab. But … Continue reading
Hall and Oates at Ravinia
Here’s a trivia question for you: What is the biggest selling musical duo of all time? Awww, you peeked. Yup, it’s Hall and Oates. Don’t bother to try to guess who’s number two. (It’s The Pet Shop Boys.) Clearly, there … Continue reading
Songwriters Showcase
Last night we attended the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Showcase, where 16 incredibly talented young songwriters show off the songs they’ve written during the past week’s workshop. Last year it was the highlight of the summer shows we saw, and it … Continue reading
Painting
Last night an impressive storm blew through Evanston, knocking out our power five times. This morning 48 buildings on the Northwestern campus were still without power, according to an email sent to Dani. Fortunately, Dani’s German class was unaffected. The … Continue reading
Basil Chicken, Sweet Potato Casserole, Brussels Sprouts
Basil Chicken I thought I had memorialized Linda’s Basil Chicken recipe on this blog, but apparently not, so here’s my version: Ingredients Boneless chicken breasts Onion Lemon Basil leaves White Wine Milk Olive Oil Salt and Pepper or Poultry Seasoning … Continue reading
Lock & Lock Korma
One of my missions this year in Evanston is to make lots of one-serving meals for Dani’s freezer. I ran errands to Ace Hardware and Whole Foods, returning with about 50 pounds of stuff in the poor shopping basket cart. … Continue reading
Father’s Day at The Stained Glass
Dani and I spent a pleasant day in Evanston before the start of summer session at Northwestern. We walked up to Al’s Deli for lunch. Al’s is an interesting place, because it sounds very American, but is, in fact, French. … Continue reading
Deep Purple at the Ravinia Festival
Ravinia is an outdoor music festival founded in 1904. It’s a few miles North of Evanston. Dani and I went to see Deep Purple with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra and opening band Ernie and the Automatics. Dinner at the upstairs … Continue reading
Evanston Seasons
Dani took these three photos from her balcony, showing the different seasons in Evanston.
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Leaving Evanston
So ends the summer in Evanston. We packed up, cleaned out the refrigerator and prepped the condo for a month of idleness, then headed to the airport. Not exactly traveling light, because I needed to get everything back to Orlando, … Continue reading